Twelve Missing Sisters
by Shaded Cat
Summary: Shuichi Saihara; Small time Private Detectives who works small jobs for close friends. He's no Kyoko Kirigiri, but he gets the job done, and finds out the truth, whether you're an average joe or a yakuza boss. In the grandscheme of things however, he's a nobody milling around helping somebodies. And now, a case comes to him from one scared beautiful pianist...
1. Chapter 1

The office of one Shuichi Saihara, Private Detective, could be overlooked in a very major sense. Though being only twenty-three and having his own office could be consider prestigious, he felt any other than such. The room was partitioned by one half wall and another full wall, one room being Shuichi's own room with a small futon and table, the other being his actual office, and the third and largest room being a sort of pseudo-waiting room/secretary's office…

The last bit being a running joke that Shuichi had with an associated of his, considering that he had jokingly offered his services as one.

Shuichi's office however was bare in comparison. He himself sat in a desk in the near center of the room, with a window off to the side, large enough against the wall to give him light, but small enough that it didn't give him a place to see him himself in view. A gray wall coupled with a single dark wood bookcase filled with novels and old case files. Another wall had a small cabinet sitting in front with a radio emitting news.

"—of yet, there is still no mention on where famed traveler, Rantaro Amami, has disappeared too. Now making it two weeks after his boat was found near an Indonesia coastal town. However…" The radio personality continued to drone on about the disappearance of Rantaro Amami, a modern explore, in tandem with the pouring of heavy rain. A downpour had befallen the city, and was hitting Shuichi's area the worst.

Shuichi didn't really pay attention to either the radio announcement nor the rain, instead his mind was focusing on his laptop screen. A report in regards of background checks on people for a small local business, a subsidiary of the Togami corporation.

The "click-clacking" of his fingers on the keys foretelling that whatever he was typing, it was taking his entire focus on. So focused, that Shuichi didn't hear the new sound of his door being knocked on until the twelfth knock. At which point, he had wanted to stretch his shoulders before hearing the knock on his door.

He quickly pressed the button on his desk to unlatch the door and allowed it to be opened by… famous Pianist Kaede Akamatsu?! Shuichi nearly fell out of his chair from pure shock at seeing the classical musician walk into his office; dripping wet, shivering, and wearing clothes that he wouldn't associate with a high-class musician, but it was no doubt Kaede Akamatsu.

He has heard of her at least, he quite fond of classical music as opposed to pop songs and hard rock beats. Shuichi knew that the pianist was of a sophisticated crowd, high society gatherings and galas always asking for her performance; the Togami Corporation, Team Danganronpa, even Hope's Peak Academy. The first and third being direct correlation with each other considering that the Togami Corporation's head was an alumni of Hope Peak's academy.

However, this begged the question; what was such a person doing in a rather obscure private detective's office? It could not simply just be for investigation, if so why had Miss Akamatsu not gone to the famous Kirigiri Detective agency or even gone to the Detective Library! Shuichi himself wasn't considered skilled enough to join, so he was not part of that gathering. Miss Akamatsu and Shuichi have never met before today, so there was no way this could have been a social gathering. Perhaps this was a case of mistaken identity or her being lost, she had simply ended up at the wrong room in the building; there were other business aside from his in the complex.

Shuichi however could tell by the pensive look on the pianist's face that this was not a case of being lost for the pianist, that was the face of someone who had business with himself. Had someone he had done work for had some sort of connection with her? Shuichi knew he had no sort of high profile clients, at best it was middle level investigation of spousal affairs, location of missing children, or fraud. He's done work for the police, but it was low profile cases, nothing major.

"Mister Saihara?" the Painist's voice was chime like, light and soft. She was wearing a pink hooded sweatshirt and jeans however, no doubt to keep her identity hard to pin point in the event of journalists and other prying eyes.

"Ah, y-yes." Shuichi coughed in an effort to make his voice sound less… Pitched than normal. First impression are everything after all, especially if the person in front of him had the potential of a job for him. "Yes, I am Shuichi Saihara. Would it be safe to assume that you are Kaede Akamatsu, the pianist?" A bashful color framed Miss Akamatsu's face as she took the hood off her head. Wetted light blond hair was clipped down by silver music notes, all except a few strands which stood atop her like an antenna despite their apparent wetness. Even though she tried to smother it down with her hand, it proved to be a fruitless endeavor.

Shuichi in this moment was quite glad he kept his hat on.

The door shut behind Miss Akatamatsu before Shuichi lead her through the glass door into his office. He seated her down before asking if she wanted tea. She nodded mutely before verbally apologizing for getting his office and chair wet. He told her to not worry about it before Shuichi excused himself into his room, keeping the view of his bed out Miss Akamatsu's by opening the door as little as possible. He quickly brewed up a quick pot of tea and located a small towel before bringing them both back into the office.

She spent some time trying to dry herself and in an effort to wait until the tea cooled enough for her to drink. Once both her hair and face were drier than before, her hands grabbed the tea cup and smiled as warmth radiated from it. When she drank it, a bit of color livened her pale features.

"Do you have a maid here that brewed the tea?" Miss Akamatsu joked. Shuichi colored a little but kept his composure by drinking the tea. "It is quite well done."

"Uh, no. I did this myself." A look of surprise crossed Miss Akamatsu face before it relaxed and she put her cup down, drained. Shuichi asked if she wanted another, but she waved her hand.

"N-No, I'm fine now, better in fact than in a long time." A pained look crossed Miss Akamatsu's face before Shuichi put down his cup.

"May I ask first how you've heard of me Miss Akamatsu?" Shuichi asked.

"Please call me Kaede, Miss Akamtsu is my mother, Mister Saihara."

"Understandable Miss Kaede."

"Then may I call you Shuichi." The Detective nearly choked on his tea but easily smothered it down when he saw the smile that Kaede gave him showed no sort of ill intent. No one, well no woman, has ever had such an familiar tone with him.

"I-If that pleases you Miss Kaede," Shuichi responded as he tried to bat away feelings of awkwardness at being called his first name. "Now I must ask, how have you heard of my office?" Kaede smiled nervously.

"Did you ever work for a Mister Otogawa?"

"I assume when you say Mister Otogawa, you mean Ryo Otogawa, the popstar Sayaka Maizono's manager." Shuichi knew what she was talking about. A while ago he was contacted by the producer of the Idol group Sayaka Maizono was a part of, and was asked to look into several suspicious letters that were sent to the group. The conclusion of this investigation lead Shuichi to finding a small collection of fans plotting to bomb an event held by the idol group, a short call to the manager proved to be a swift end to the case. Last he heard, all the members were facing serious chargers of both unlawful possions of arms and conspiracy.

"Yes. He is a known associated of my manager, and he referred me to you. He said you had a certain preference for subtly." Shuichi nodded slowly. "The Kirigiri Detective Agency tend to have a bit more direct in terms of investigation."

"It is hard to remain inconspicuous in investigations when you're branded…" Shuichin noted. Miss Akamatsu nodded and Shuichi began to understand what sort of reason why she came to him. Whatever work she had, she did not want the media to know about the nature of the case. Shuichi knew these cases tended to be about delicate matters, or matters about the private life that shouldn't be known. Kaede however seemed to not be the type to do such acts, but then again Shuichi didn't know that a sex dungeon of that size could be constructed without the wife knowing her husband's… "hobbies".

"I take it you wish this case to be handled with a certain amount of… Delicacy?" Shuichi offered, to which Kaede nodded her head. "You have my utmost confidentiality that the information of your cases will not be divulged from my mouth." A look of relief passed Kaede's face and Shuichi could see that her shoulders visibly relaxed.

"I'm here about a missing person."

"Who?" Shuichi was pouring a cup of tea for himself.

"My ex-boyfrined, Rantaro Amami." Shuichi nearly dropped the tea kettle and his cup at the shocking information. Rantaro Amami, a contemporary explorer, had a relationship with the pianist; such thing was certainly not in any tabloid news that he's had to unfortunately read.

"I can understand your shock." Kaede's voice pulled him out of his pondering and he saw the woman have a slight smile on her face. "We dated back in high school before either of us became, well, us. However, that relationship… Didn't last." There was some sort of history that came from pause in Keade's sentence that Shuichi wouldn't pry into yet.

"I assume you two however did keep in close contact despite the break up?" Shuichi reasoned. Kaede gave a nervous laugh.

"W-Well not really. Unless you count facebook and the occasional birth day message, we didn't really "talk" much. I did go to a few gatherings where he was, but I was mostly there to be a performer." Shuichi nodded along to Kaede's explanation. She and Mister Amami weren't "close-friends", however they knew of each other through the years. However, why did she come to him to ask about his apparent loss of carbon foot print. The current media has speculated he was still travelling somewhere in the south pacific, his boat apparently found marooned near an island some weeks ago.

"He contacted me recently." The look on Keade's face made Shuichi reconsider whatever information the news had been spouting about Amami's disappearance. It was a look of terrified fear. She brought a phone out from her pocket and played back a message.

"Kaede! Hey, I hope you remember me, you know, Rantaro Amami, your best friend since ever! I know we don't really talk or anything anymore, but I just want you to know that any tabloids saying I'm missing aren't true. I left my boat there, and using dad's old boat so I could go a little incognito and… Well, look for Rinka! I have a feeling this time I'll find her! If my mom calls you, please ignore her! I think she's still thinking that we're together. Bye!" The message cut and Shuichi could firmly say that the explorer's personal boat marooned in the Philippines is no longer necessary evidence pertaining to this case.

"That was after they found his boat. I was about to panic after seeing the news, but he contacted me shortly after I learned." A smile crossed Kaede's face. "He's always acted like that. Doing stuff without any care in the world, even if it seems really stupid, like looking for his lost sister…" She trailed off at the end before her eyes turned her hard and she pressed the next message. This one was dated a few days after the first.

"Kaede! Oh my God, you're not gonna believe this! I found her! I found Rinka! She's alive, after all these years, she's alive! She was in an orphanage in Brazil! She's comatose, she almost didn't recognize me when I saw her! But it's really her! She has some stupid looking tattoos, but the birthmark on her neck is still there and still even stupider than I remembered! I'm bringing her home right now!" That message was dated a week after the first message. Meaning that in that week after locating Amami's boat, the Explorer had made it from the Philippines to Brazil. Personally, Shuichi found that astounding. The next message would quash any sort of surprise and turn it into dread.

"Kaede! I fucked! I really fucked up this time! Rinka, she—Oh God! I thought I finally found her! I should have known! Zzzt… Kidnapped, not lost! Now they have everyone! They have my family Kaede, all of them! Listen, don't call me! Don't call the police!" The phone was then thrown and sounded like it shattered as the message cut off in a crash. Shuichi felt his mouth go dry as Kaede's face seem to grow equal in color.

"Th-There's one more…" Kaede's fingers mumbled flicked over her phone before going to one last message. This one came from a number that Shuichi recognized as being a common number for burner phones native to Japan.

"Piano Freak! Don't trust anyone! They have eyes everywhere! I can't tell you over the phone! Don't tell the police! Oh god, they're using kids! Fucking killing kids! Rinka got away, find Rinka!" The message ended and Shuichi looked up Kaede. His eyes were wide as the words from the last message sunk in. Then before he could think, Shuichi's hands grabbed the phone and quickly pulled the battery out and tossed it out the open window. The battery lost in the rain, hopefully for good.

Using kids! Killing kids! He dropped the lifeless phone now, and his hands gripped the desk in an effort to steady himself from falling. Shuichi's grip he had on his desk turned his knuckles white as he saw Kaede's shoulders shake.

"P-Piano Freak is the nickname he used back in Middle school." Shuichi noted silvery drops fall from the woman's face as she gripped her tea cup, eyes downcast. "H-He still remembers that stupid nickname after all these years. I-Isn't that funny?" Shuichi swallowed nervously before he was about to comfort the woman before the phone rang once more.

The room became deathly quiet as the phone continued to ring, not a one making a sound or noise as they saw the number come up on screen. "Redacted", was what it was read. Kaede nearly scrambled to pick it up, but Shuichi held her back. His eyes wide and a finger to his lips, certain numbers could have their phone numbers be "redacted", those with serious money and influence.

Don't pick it up. He mouthed as he still held onto her. Eventually the phone stopped ringing and it clicked onto the automated voice message.

"Hi! This is Kaede Akamatsu! I'm not at the phone right now, probably either practicing or listing to music! Leave a message if you want me to contact you, kay?" The message clicked off, and it sounded much too chipper for what it heralded.

"Kaede Akamatsu, this is a direct message to you. If you attempt to investigate the nature of Rantaro Amami's message, we will know. If you tell anyone about the message of Rantaro Amami, we will know. If you tell the police, the government, or the media, the public will never know. If you try to locate Rinka Amami, we will know. Any attempts at acting upon this information, and we will make sure you never see the light of day ever again."

"We have power and influence beyond your comprehension. We will find you, we will find everyone close to you, and we will kill them. After everyone you know, everything you cherish is taken from you, and you feel the full brunt of despair, then will we finally kill you. This is not a warning, this a threat."

The message ended and Kaede began to topple forward. Shuichi rushed to catch her, stopping her head from slamming into his desk. Gently as he could, he tried to keep her upright and felt her forehead. It was burning, no doubt the cumulated stress of the prior messages, the terrible weather, now this message from this mysterious number had been the final nail which was triggering a fever.

She began to sob and mumble incoherently as Shuichi made an executive decision. He carried her out of his office and into his room. Crying into his chest, her hands despite their delicate appearance, held fast and hard to the lapels of his shirt. He had to pry her fingers off his shirt before he began to rummage around his room.

A towel he ran in cold water was placed on her forehead as she lay with labored breathing on his bed. If it was a simple fevered headache, she would be fine in some time. If not… Well hopefully the hospitals were still safe to go too.

"This is not a warning, this a threat". Shuichi grimaced at the nature of the message before standing and leaning out to stare at the pelting rain. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, he noted there was a text from Kirumi.

Cln? Short and succinct, just like the maid normally is, written in a way that wouldn't require much time to compose a message. Shuichi quickly responded, fingers typing a quick response, though with more grammar.

Yes, I would not mind having you clean. However, could you also bring some fever medicine? A short pause lead into to another message being sent by the maid.

Y? Shuichi bit his lips as he wondered back to the words that Rantaro said. "Don't trust anyone", vague words, but dangerous in their own right. However, Shuichi trusted his judgement, and knew that Kirumi would be someone he could depend on.

Client came in sick. Might have fever, please check on her?

Ok. That short text was enough to relieve a bit of tension from Shuichi's shoulders before the silence got to him. It felt stifling now in his office, more so that usual. The haunting message putting doubts in his mind he thought long ago he vanquished.

Out of habit more so out of need, he went to the cabinet where the radio still played, ironically it was playing Kaede Akamatsu's rendition of Mozart's Moonlight Sonata. Opening the cabinet, Shuichi found his gun harness. The Nambu M60 revolver resting snugly in the holster before Shuichi strapped it underneath his vest.

Shuichi pulled it out before checking it over. The cylinder was clear, the hammer oiled, and the barrel cleaned. It was still in the same condition when he first got it, even after he used. He loaded in five rounds just as there was a knock at the front door.

Shuichi knew it was Kirumi, and answered it, though his hand drifted to the side of his belt out of caution. He tried not look relieved once he saw the familiar prim and proper Victorian-era dressed maid starring at him with broom in hand.

"Any particular reason for why your hand is resting on your firearm, Shuichi-sama?" Kirumi's voice was neutral despite the apparent threat Shuichi possessed with his hand on the revolver. Visibly relaxing, Shuichi opened the door wider to allow the maid inside. She briskly walked in, shedding off her coat and placing it on the rack alongside Kaede's own. She raised an eyebrow at the addition before the realization set in.

"Ah yes, you're client." Shuichi nodded at Kirumi's astute assumption.

"She might be staying here for the perceivable future," Shuichi explained. "Her case is… Serious." Kirumi went to voice her widely held cautions about takings jobs like these, but Shuichi raised a hand to stop her. "I understand that I should prioritize my safety, however I am still a detective. I make it a point to investigate the truth, whether it wants me too or not."

"I cannot tell if you like danger, or that danger happens to like you," Kirumi sighed sadly. A small smile came upon Shuichi's face.

"Danger and I happen to cross into each other time to time," he laughed tonelessly. A forlorn look overcame Kirumi's normally stoic features before she breathed in and her face returned to its professionalism. "Though secrecy is paramount, both for my client's safety as well as my own. It's quite dangerous."

"More dangerous than the job that my master requested from you?" Kirumi's voice was laced with a tinge of shock, however her slightly widened eyes served to tell Shuichi all he needed to know.

"If more so… Speaking of your current masters, how are they? I had been sent a card, but not an invitation to their wedding?"

"Would you have even shown if they had?"

"Perhaps." Kirumi chuckled at Shuichi's answer.

"Well, Yakuza certainly don't like those who tend to investigate others for their living, even if they did locate the wife of their Oyabum. Both the Master and Mistress are fine, currently enjoying their honeymoon in Hawaii."

"For business or pleasure?" An inquisitive look overcame Shuichi's features, knowing exactly why the two were in Hawaii.

"Why Shuichi, you know I would never betray my master's confidentiality. I also know that Master Kuzuryu wouldn't want **your** life to be in danger from any of his enemies." Shuichi tried to be not unnerved by the maid's icy smile, however there is a reason maid's in the books he read tended to be under the most scrutinizing of gazes.

Kirumi was no exception to this rule, especially with the wide array of clientele she has serviced.

The rain grew even louder following the accompanying silence, to which avoid such prolonged silence, Kirumi set herself to work to "straighten up" an already pristine office. Of all her clients, Shuichi Saihara kept his spaces the cleanest.

It wasn't until she entered his own personal room did Kirumi find the reason for the odd request of fever medication. She quickly slipped back into his office with wide eyes and a pale face of shock.

"Shuichi-sama, isn't that Kaede Akamatsu asleep in your bed? What is the Pianist doing in here?" Shuichi looked up from his pipe before nodding. "Is she the-"

"Client? Yes. And I'd appreciate it if you do not disclose this information with anyone. When I say the severity of the case if high, I mean Prime Minister level conspiracy." The hushed tone in Shuichi's voice was more than enough to convince the maid, as well as make her back stiffen slightly. She bowed respectfully to Shuichi before doing her maid duties of cleaning before going back to the troubled looking pianist.

Kirumi's face narrowed in concertation as she checked over the pianist before reaching into one of pockets of her dress. A box of medicine was pulled out before she gestured for Shuichi to leave.

"I would doubt Miss Kaede would have you watch as I undress her," she drawled, to which Shuichi slipped out of his room and near one of his office windows. He cracked it open before pulling a kiseru from his drawer, a gift from a close friend.

The events of today calling for him to find a way to find some sort of control over the situation, if that was harming his health then so be it. The wafting smoke drifted up and out of the cracked window, the pelting rain accompanying Shuichi's musings.

Rantaro Amami, dropped out of a high school and worked on boats instead. Began to sail around the seas at the age of a seventeen, media caught wind of this and named him a modern explorer. Can speak multiple languages, owns two houses, from a small rural town in the Kansai region. Blood type B. Has strong ties to many travel host shows, survival events, etc. Shuichi compiled a mental study of his victim, Rantaro Amami. Known associates: Hope's Peak Academy, Japanese Travel Association, Kaede Akamatsu, Team Danganrompa, and a close friend to fellow Hope's Peak alumni Mahru Koizumi the Infamous Media Photographer and Junk Enoshima the owner of her own fashion industry. Last known public whereabouts, Indonesia. Marooned boat. Found sister in Brazil, Rinka Amami. Went back to hometown to see family, official home address last known in the Kansai region, somewhere in the Osaka prefecture-

A knock on a wall alerted Shuichi to Kirumi's entrance back into his office.

"She'll be fine, only a light fever spurned on by the rain no doubt." Kirumi smoothed down her dress before taking the kizeru from Shuichi's hand and dumping the ash and tobacco into the ash tray at his desk, luckily is was still devoid of any cigarette buds. A glare on her face before she bit down on the oncoming lecture about his health.

"It must be bad if you're smoking again," she noted sadly. Shuichi gave her a sad smile before taking his pipe back.

"The less you know, the safer you are. Though, I might advise you to stay near the more volatile of crowds you work with, they have a less likelihood of being infiltrated." Kirumi didn't ask what Shuichi meant, but understood regardless simply by the severity of his words.

There was a vast conspiracy going on, and it seems Shuichi Saihara, a nobody, was caught in the midst of it. The quest for truth was never an easy or untroubled road, but for once, Shuichi felt like he bit than he could chew...


	2. Chapter 2

Shuichi watched with half lidded eyes hiding behind his hat as Kaede Akamatsu finally stirred from her fevered slumber. The rain's downpour had gotten worse and so Kirumi, with no other clients to serve today, opted to wait in Shuichi's property until it died. Though part of her won't deny that the health and safety of Kaede Akamatsu also weighed heavily on her mind.

"Mmm..." Her eyes, purple they are, looked dazed and confused as she mulled over both Kirumi and Shuichi. The maid acted without hesitation, bringing a glass of water to the woman's lips for her to flush her system. Once the cup was drained a little bit of focus could be seen behind the pianist's eyes.

"Are you alright Miss Akamatsu? Any residual fatigue? Drowsiness? Anemia?" Kirumi's attention to Kaede's health spoke volumes for the Maid's conduct. Despite her drowsiness, Kaede was able to answer the Maid's questions. Deeming her health adequate, the maid stepped back to allow Shuichi to approach the pianist.

"Miss Akamatsu, how much do you remember before you fainted?" Shuichi started.

"...n't call me Miss Akamatsu..." Kaede replied tiredly. Shuichi repressed the grin at the woman insistence of informality. "... Rantaro's is in serious danger. There was another message on the phone."

"Yes, it was a warning for you to not pursue their line of inquiry." A guilty expression clouded Kaede's face, and Shuichi rushed to assuage it. "H-However, it matters not. There's a conspiracy afoot, a deep unsettling thing has occurred."

"I apologize for putting you in this position." There was despair in her voice, no doubt in involving Shuichi in what her problems. However, that only served to galvanize Shuichi even more; knowing that someone came to him to solve a problem was more than enough reason for him to take the case.

"It's alright, it's in the job description of a detective to routinely court danger," Shuichi reasoned. Kirumi cleared her throat audibly and Shuichi sent her a guilty smile. Kaede however fully recognized the appearance of the maid and there was tint of fear in her eyes. "Ah, don't be afraid Miss Kaede, this is Kirumi Tojo, a trusted associate." The maid curtsied much to Kaede's confusion.

"I am but a simple maid, who works under Shuichi-sama," Kirumi introduced. Shuichi rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, to politicians, yakuza, and celebrities. Much less owns her own maid company."

"Wait a minute, you worked at the party by Byakuya-san," Kaede noted. She recalled the party she was asked to play for, hosted by one Togami Byakuya. In lieu of waiters and waitresses, expected servers of the host's own household, instead there a small army of maids and butlers, each immaculately dressed and taught to act in proper high society understanding. It was both phenomenal, and unbelievably terrifying at the time with the level of professionalism they exhibited. At the head of this formation was the head maid, one Kirumi Tojo.

"Yes, indeed I did once primarily serve under Togami-sama before delegating that task over to the original head of the staff, Aloysius Pennyworth, as he recovered from a cold." Kaede swallowed dryly as she remembered how Kirumi effortlessly directed the young men and woman of the Togami household during the dinner.

"She's just an associate of mind whom cleans my office from time to time," Shuichi replied off handedly. Kaede looked dubious, casting her eyes to Kirumi, before turning back to Shuichi.

"W-What's going to happen?" Her eyes were wide with fear. Shuichi empathized with her deerly; it's not every day one learns that the friend they thought was simply in troubled turned into a grand conspiracy of some kind. In understanding, Shuichi did his best to give Kaede the best smile he could.

"For now, there's nothing much we should do in terms of legal action," Shuichi mused. "Threats like these aren't made lightly. Did you tell anyone where you would be today?" A slow shake of the head and Shuichi let out a sigh of relief. "Good, the less people who know you're current whereabouts, the better. I no naught of who they are, but to be able to have their number redacted, they must be have some power equal to that of major corporation."

Kaede paled and Shuichi realized that perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say. Comforting people isn't his strong suit, investigating them, making them uncomfortable, making them angry, that he could do. Make someone feel less scared or less angry, his uncle had tried to impart that knowledge onto him but it could never really stick.

Luckily there was someone nearby who is better at providing comfort than himself.

"It'll be alright Akamatsu-sama." Kirumi knelt down to grasp both of Kaede's hands into her own. Worn cloth pulling Kaede's attention to the serious faced maid. "Shuichi may not look it, but he's an incredibly passionate and driven investigator."

"Hey…"

"Th-Thank you, Miss Tojo," Kaede smiled tentaviley at the maid, feeling a little bit of tension relieve herself from her shoulders. Shuichi exhaled himself, he was lucky that Kirumi had stuck around, if it was just him, Kaede would no doubt have fallen into some sort of despair at her situation.

"I think it'll be best if you stay here." Kaede looked as Shuichi reached into his pocket to extract the shell of her phone. "I'll hopefully divert… Whoever is trying to find you by taking your phone and depositing it somewhere. In the meantime, use this office as your own. It may not be much, but… Well, it's not much." Kaede giggled at Shuichi's attempts at formality, the simple gesture in an absurd situation making everything seem more surreal.

"Tojo-san, I'm sorry to ask to do this—"

"Do not worry. The company won't fall apart because I've stepped away from management for a few days. It woulnd't be much of a maid company if it did." Shuichi nodded before turning back to Kaede.

"Don't worry Miss Kaede. I'll find out where Rantaro Amami is, and I'll bring the ones who wish harm upon you to justice." Kaede looked at him with wide eyes, eyes that made Shuichi duck his own behind his hat. "I'll be off then." Shuichi grabbed his coat before exiting his bedroom, and then exit his office altogether. This left Kaede and Kirumi alone.

"… There wouldn't happen to be a piano here, would there be?"

"N—Well, now that I think about it…"

Shuichi was meant to be gone for an hour at the very least. Perhaps two if he wanted to pick up some extra toiletries for his new guest. He had already dropped the phone, a battery inside and on, under a park bench two bus stops out before attempting to make his way back to his apartment.

He made one quick stop at a Don Quixote to buy a burner phone for Kaede. That was his first mistake, because in those ten minutes in the general department store, the downpour seemed to pour down in biblical amounts.

It was that same increased downpour that was his undoing. He was so focused on the pouring rain and trying to not trip over his own feet when a hand had appeared from behind an izakaya's doors and pulled him inside with a high-pitched shout from the detective at the sudden movement.

"Kampai!" Kaito Momota let out a rancorous shout, to which half of the bar's patrons echoed, before he drank. Once he finished his mug of beer, he let out another satisfied shout to which the other half of the bar echoed. To his side was Shuichi and Korekiyo Shinguji, a professor of anthropology at Tokyu.

Despite the odd ensemble of a Private Detective, an Anthropology Profesor who's specialization lay in folklore, and a Forensic Astronomist and prospecting Astronaut candidate. Well, there's actually a difference in that last place.

"Woo! I'm finally in!" Kaito wrapped both his arms around the necks of both Korekiyo and Shuichi, bringing them close as he laughed. Shuichi, who was now nursing his own cup of Sake, and Korekiyo, who was partaking in a delightfully colorful cocktail called an "Old Fashioned", did their best to not spill their drinks.

"To see a friend finally in the euphoria of accomplishment, and to walk amongst the Heaven's where man's dreams have always saw too..." Korekiyo's words fell on Kaito's deaf ears, but Shuichi understood the gist of his friend's meaning.

Kaito finally on the fast track to going into space, he's in the last leg of his training course. Shuichi thought with a smile. And even more importantly, he's not only going to be one of three Japanese people aboard the International Space Station, but the youngest one in space.

"Congratulations Momota-kun," Shuichi smiled, truly happy for his friend's success. Korekiyo nodded along, the smile in his eyes as he brought the drink to his lips.

It's an odd sight, the three of them. One would think the three would never interact with one another, however all it took was a few shared classes and one conversation between the three of them. Despite each one studying a different major in college, their General Ed classes had them meet up and formed the basis of their friendship. Several other events solidified the bonds between the three and now they made it a habit to meet up every so often; commonly on the subject of status updates of eachother's crafts.

"How's your sister Shinguji-kun?" Shuichi asked.

"She's doing better now, still not leaving the house, but at least she goes out every so often." A fond smile came over Korekiyo's face at the mention of his sister. "She still wishes to thank you for helping me with that particular incident."

"You mean when Shuichi and I busted into that village and beat the crap outta all of the assholes who were hurtin' ya! We'd do it again!" Kaito was referring to a case that Shuichi worked that happened to coincide with a study Korekiyo had about an isolated village far to Japan's north.

It turned out that village had become a host to a rather volatile cult, and were none too happy about the infringement of their privacy with Korekiyo. They had captured and had begun their torture, well more so suffering, as those who harmed Korekiyo did so for the simple act of hurting him.

Shuichi's case involved locating several missing persons in the area, namely a one Chisa Yukizome. Her paramours had come to Shuichi to look for her, though they wanted to keep her identify heavily private in the event that media become involved. He tracked her down to the village where he had also last heard of Korekiyo, where he found his friend in a terrible ritual.

Kaito went alongside him, wanting to "hang out" for a trip to the North with Shuichi, only to bust into the village holding nothing more than a baseball bat and look of pure rage on his face as he saw Korekiyo sitting in a cauldron and being boiled alive.

A quick call to the police, the incapacitation of several cult members via baseball bat, and the freeing of both Korekiyo and the indoctrinated Chisa Yukizome, and the rest is a finished mystery.

"Just wham! 'Guve me back my friend or I'll send you to space!' And then I totally knocked that guy out!" Kaito, slightly tipsy, began to reenact his efforts of fighting off the villagers. It was mostly one sided, seeing as most where not expecting a bat wielding "Luminary of the Stars" disrupting their ritual. The bat was a big selling point. "Thank God I left one of my cousin's old bats in your truck, eh Shuichi."

"Yes, quite lucky," Shuichi muttered, remembering how close all three were all to actually dying. No guns were involved, but a few ceremonial knives had gotten a little too close to the young detective that he'd like. "Hopefully that never happens again."

"What, myself being in the throngs of a ritual or Kaito trying to not bludgeon people?" Korekiyo replied with a smirk. Shuichi rolled his eyes.

"Both! Cause now you two won't have me to save yer sorry asses!" Kaito laughed. "Cause I'm gonna be a spaceman! Flying high through the sk-" Kaito's arm swung and hit the tray of a waitress at the bar. Everyone stopped and stared as the mug shattered.

"Bakabakashii..."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Kaito apologized quickly before helping the waitress clean up his mess. Shuichi only sighed at his friend's antics. This man was going to space, how?

"Saihara-kun, I've been meaning to wonder, but what vexes you?" Korekiyo's question caught Shuichi by surprise. "Your shoulders are tense, and you seem to be looking over your shoulder more often than naught."

"Eh, well, it's just a case," Shuichi mumbled out. Korekiyo nodded, knowing his friend's cases usually dealt much in terms of... Anonymity.

"I see. Well if you ever any issues, I'm always willing to end an ear." A finger trailed near Shuichi's exposed arm, and a cold shiver rushed up his spine to Korekiyo's amusement.

"Oi! Stop that Kiyo, teasing my sidekick ain't right," Kaito warned. He had finished cleaning up his mess with the waitresses before apologizing several times to the waitress and the owner. Then he turned to face the waitress once more. "I'm so sorry once again! That was rude of me."

"Bakabakashii," the woman muttered darkly, but against Kaito's endless optimism, she couldn't do much else but accept his words.

"Kaito, I think it's best if we end the night now. Besides, don't you have training tommorow?"

"Eh? Oh yeah." Kaito's face went white upon seeing the time. With great struggle, he stood and bowed to the owner before paying. Shuichi and Korekiyo followed close behind him, well after he let out a loud cheer that roused the bar's patrons once more before leaving.

"That waitress was cute," Kaito mumbled as he hailed a taxi. "I think her name aas... Maki? Hehe, Maki, Maki, Maki, Makiroll." When it stopped he more or less stumbled while Korekiyo approached the driver and gave him Kaito's adress. The taxi sped off leaving Korekiyo with Shuichi.

"You don't think-" Korekiyo started before Shuichi held up a palm.

"I may be some sort of investigator, Shinguji-kun, but I wouldn't even begin to describe Kaito and romance being ever on the same page." Korekiyo's face relaxed into a smile before he yawned. "I don't know if you should know this or not..."

Shuichi's brow furrowed at Korekiyo's words. Hard enough to not get stressed at Kaede's case, whatever Korekiyo usually noted were always of the more sinister aspects of life that Shuichi wasn't accustomed too.

This time was no exception.

"But recently my colleagues have uncovered up some odd bodies... Children's bodies in Brazil." Shuichi swore under his breathe. He began to breathe deeply in order to ready his heart for whatever else Korekiyo had to tell. "Now normally in this area, it's been known to find children's corpses as it was an area wrought with child mortality during the age of South American exploration and Colonialism, however the bodies we've discovered weren't of that age. They were... Fresh, with marks and wounds of their bodies clear as day despite the rapid decomposition of them. There were several odd steel wrist bands that were found still attached to their skeletons, nothing I've ever seen or studied about to indicate a ceremony of some kind."

Korekiyo reached into his coat to pull out a folder. Amidst the still pouring rain, Shuichi found it to be glad that there was some sort of sound to muffle their discussion. Paranoia gripped him in a vice, and it wouldn't let up any time soon.

"Thank you. This may have some... Prevalence." To my case; was the unspoken words between the two before Shuichi cleared his throat and moved the folder into his own coat. "Any other anomalies with the body you noticed?"

"Yes. Radiology determines they died no more than three weeks ago."

 **Killing Children! Children!**

"What made you come tell me?" Shuichi muttered as his eyes cast a look at every shadow. Korekiyo noted his friend's suspicious and his soft voice lowered even more.

"Normally I wouldn't tell you this. But one of the bodies had an artificial implant and its serial number was still there... It's one of his siblings." Shuichi swore again, and Korekiyo shared his grave sentiments.

"He's not going to like that."

There was silence between the two of them before Korekiyo stood straighter and reached for his umbrella and unfurling it. Rain pattered hard against the canvas covering as the Professor stepped into the rain.

"Safe tidings Shuichi-kun. Hopefully you won't end up in my lab."

"One can only hope, Shinguji-kun." The Professor then walked into the hailstorm of rain as Shuichi kept staring straight ahead. His mind a whirlwind of emotion and theory before he grabbed his own umbrella and began to run back to his office.

The rain completely drenched him, pouring down incessantly now for over a day. Vague memories of that case plaguing his mind as he thought about what transpired. It rained then too.

"Shuichi-kun, is that you?" Shuichi looked up from entering the building's front desk. The landlord, an older man who treated everyone like his own grandchildren, looked up as Shuichi entered.

"It's me Tengan-san," Shuichi replied as he shook himself of all the excess water that accumulated on him. "Just had to step out for a bit."

"You've picked poor weather to do so Shuichi-kun," Tengan chuckled as he saw the young man do his best to try and get the hair out of his eyes. "I must ask, do you have company over?"

"E-Eh? Yes. Kirumi-san is staying in my office until the rain dies down a little." Shuichi trusted Tengan, however the older man tended to have a habit of talking about things that normally should be left in confidence. He's a nice man, if a little too trusting…

"Oh, well tell her that she plays the piano beautifully. I haven't heard Mozart's Requiem played like that in years." Tengan began to laugh himself even as Shuichi walked past him. His mind mentally furrowing at what Tengan meant by what he said. As he climbed the buildings stairs, he tried to understand what Tengan meant.

Did Kirumi and Kaede locate his classical CD's? No, it wouldn't make sense for Tegan to say that he heard the music live. A recording? No, that wouldn't work either. Then Shuichi remembered, remembering one of the "gifts" he received for doing a job, at the same time he stumbled over his own feet and tripped as he reached his floor.

Someone grabbed him before he fell down.

"Ah, thank you." He said.

"No problem." The figure then descended the stairs before Shuichi could get a better look at them. Long hair and something flashing in the light was what he saw before he turned back to the door. The sound of a piano being played muffled behind the door.

Opening the door, he found that Kirumi and Kaede had uncovered the small piano that was kept covered and acted as an impromptu table. Kirumi was standing off to the side as Kaede sat at the bench. Now instead of Mozart's "Requiem", Beethoven's "Für Elise" was what danced from Kaede's fingers. It was one of the earliest memories he had of his parents.

Quietly as he could, Shuichi did his best to hang his coat as the notes fluttered in the air. Eventually he reached the door separating his office from his room and knocked on it. He simply stood there, listening to the rather old and once misused piano finally get its purpose fulfilled.

When the final notes lulled silent, Shuichi knocked on the door. The sound of one-person squealing and another person standing and cursing as their shin bumped into a table was heard from behind the door.

"It's me, Saihara Shuichi." He stated before opening the door without a second thought. If he stopped and listened after knocking and announcing, he would have heard Kaede making noises akin to a strangled cat. Namely about the current state of her dress.

"I've disposed of the phone, and I also bought you a replacement." He reached underneath his vest to pulled out the disposable cell phone he bought. When he looked he found Kaede… Wearing one of his more… Unfortunate ensembles of clothing.

"I-It's not what it looks like!" Kaede stammered, her voice pitched and her face a deep shade of red. Shuichi stared at her much like he would a crime scene.

She sat, half standing with the piano bench making her knees bend as she twisted her torso to look at Shuichi. She was also wearing some of Shuichi's old clothes. Namely the pinstriped shirt and pants of his high school days. The top obviously not, ahem, fitting well against her's and so was left unbuttoned.

It… Fit her, rather well. Though with the top seeminly straining against her, Shuichi felt his face flush as he refused to look down.

"It-I-Eh…" Kaede floundered with her words while Shuichi stayed silent and made a silent prayer to his Uncle if he had ever dealt with this sort of situation.

Lucky Kirumi salvaged the situation from degrading into further genre switch.

"Kaede-sama's clothes had gotten wet earlier, and these were the only clothes that seemed to fit her well enough." Kirumi's words allowed Shuichi to look down and at the stone-faced maid. "I sincerely apologize for doing so without asking permission Saihara-sama."

"N-No, it's alright. If she needed clothes, she's welcome to use anything here, considering the situation." Shuichi tugged the brim of his hat low over his eyes as his gaze tried to find something else to talk about other than his client wearing his high school uniform. "I-I see you found the piano Miss Kaede."

The woman's face relaxed as her eyes lit up, both no longer clouded in the red of embarrassment.

"Yes, Kirumi-san helped me find it. Despite it's misuses," Shuichi laughed guiltily at that statement, "it's maintained quite well."

"I heard from outside the office… I've never heard you play live before, but it sounds beautiful." Shuichi couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth, and when it finally caught up to him, he immediately shut up. Kaede however didn't notice his clam up.

"Thank you," she smiled brightly at Shuichi, making him swallow dryly as he avoided eye contact. "Maybe I can play for you one day."

"Perhaps one day, but let's wait until this business is over and done with, yes?" Kaede's faced returned to looking solemn before Kirumi stood, grabbing both their attentions.

"Well the hours and the rain are dwindling down now, so I'll take my leave now." She bowed to Shuichi before turning to face Kaede and grasping the girl's hands. "If you need anything, just call." Then Kirumi handed Kaede her business card before walking out. Kaede just stared at the card.

"Prime Ministrations?" Shuichi shrugged, having tried and failed at knowing why Kirumi had that as her maid company's name.

"Miss Kaede, back to the matter at hand." Shuichi's eyes and tone of voice made the room grow cold, and Kaede felt the hairs on her neck prick up as she felt the serioueness of the situation. The original reason why she had been made to rest here.

"I have even more reason to believe that the people that are holding Rantaro Amami are both incredibly dangerous and incredibly well connected." His hand unconsciously drifted to the folder tucked in his shirt. "Tonight, I'll see if I can find you better accommodations than my apartment however."

Shuichi went over to pull flip out a white board. Written previously were the notes of his old case; something about people being replaced by lookalikes that ultimately came to be nothing.

"I need you to tell me everything about Rantaro Amami, and I mean everything…"


End file.
